Girls Don't Die
by jm1681
Summary: Rin and Mimi's day begins much in the same way it always does, when a horrific event forces them to seek out a new place to live. 'Hard' Teen, for sexual situations, violence, and language. Please Review.
1. Chapter 1

_Good evening Mnemosyne archive :)_

_I'm 2/3 of the way through my second viewing of 'Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne', 'Mnemosyne' or what have you, and I must say; it gets cooler every time :) I really adore these characters, and find this lore to be nothing short of incredible (That's probably putting it lightly). I knew it wouldn't take long for me to begin a 'Rin' fic, and sure enough, just about a week after watching the first ep for the first time, here I am. Hopefully, I've done the characters some justice. They felt pretty good to me as I was writing them, hopefully my gut was right :)_

_I don't own Rin, Mnemosyne, or any other title you might offer this series, but I sure think it's great :)_

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><p>"Mimi?" Rin bellowed. The green-haired immortal's hand was on her forehead this morning. Her hand was on her forehead almost every morning, always suffering some insufferable migraine. "Some water?"<p>

The home of Asogi Consulting was a very different place this morning, and its proprietor too seemed quite different. The lenses of her glasses were wrapped in a polished silver frame, and her attire was decidedly old-fashioned. Her frilly, off-white button-down blouse fit her loosely, giving little hint to the slender physique beneath, though her dark brown slacks clung to her curves quite nicely.

"Coming!" Mimi brightly replied from just down the hall. Indeed this was a much different place. Subtle gold ornamentations, real wood furniture, and a window-sized shoji screen that allowed just enough sunlight to enter the space. Rin's office couldn't have been more than ten feet by twelve, and the décor throughout was distinctly old-fashioned, but still _just_ contemporary.

Rin's loyal assistant stepped into her office, immediately taking notice of the shortwave radio broadcast. As she placed a tray containing a bottle of clear liquid and two small glasses onto Rin's desk, the violet-haired girl spoke, a little more harshly than she may have intended, "Why do you keep that radio on?" She filled both glasses with the crystal clear liquid and propped herself up onto her boss's desk. She slid one of the glasses behind her towards Rin, her eyes closed as she continued, "It's not like they're going to tell us what's _really_ going on out there."

Rin held the glass in front of her lips, quietly speaking while Mimi gulped down the glass she'd poured herself, "Guess I'm just hoping that one of these days I'll turn it on and hear that this war is finally over."

"If we've learned anything after all these years, it's that wars…" As she calmly spoke, Rin choked on the "water" Mimi had poured her, "…don't solve anything." Rin continued choking for a moment and Mimi finally interjected, "Vodka means water in Russian, you know?"

After letting out a few more coughs, Rin leaned her aching head back against her seat and choked out her reply, "Shit."

Mimi leaned back on Rin's desk, using her elbows to prop herself up. For the most part, her tone was always light, and her smile unshakable when she spoke with Rin, "So boss, what's on the agenda this morning?"

Breathing normally once again, and perhaps feeling just a little bit better, Rin tilted her head forward, giving Mimi her eyes as she offered her friend a warm grin, "At the moment?"

Mimi returned the smile when suddenly, hundreds, if not thousands of Time Fruits permeated the walls. More than either of them had ever seen all at once. Immediately they both shared a gasp at the sight and got to their feet. Rin slid the Shoji window to the side to look out to the surrounding city, only to find the scene was the same there as well. In the distance, Yggdrasil seemed larger than ever, and she was literally pouring Time Fruits onto Japan.

Terrified, Mimi's small hands clung to her oldest friend, and she asked, "Rin, what's going on?"

Rin slipped an arm behind Mimi, gently rubbing her back to comfort her, "I don't-"

However, just as she was attempting to calm her friend's worried nerves, a massive concussion wave decimated the building they called home, up until that morning.

**-Hiroshima, Japan: August 6****th****, 1945**

As the smoke cleared, there was virtually nothing left of Rin and Mimi's building. There was nothing much left at all for as far as the eye could see; nothing but fires, smoke, and rubble. The sky was red with flames, the air filled with smoke and lethal amounts of radiation. Amidst the roar of the flames, there was but one other sound; screams. Screams that were saturated with tears and pain, the very sounds of poor souls taking their last agony laden breaths.

In the rubble-filled sub-floor of the building in which Asogi Consulting once stood, Rin was buried under the debris of her own office. Her large green eyes closed under their own unconscious weight, her face smattered in blood. Pinned down by the beams that once held up the roof, both of her shoulders were dislocated, and her right leg was broken in a seemingly impossible bend.

Her lips were the first part of her to move, weakly calling out, "Mimi?"

Not more than a second later did the pain of her destroyed leg set in. Her eyes shattered open and a surreal howl vented from her lips. The pain of this particular break was far greater than anything she'd felt in many years, and unfortunately for her, how she was pinned down made even small movements very difficult. The Time Fruit's magic pulled her arms back into their sockets, though as it attempted to straighten out her obliterated leg, the pain she felt only escalated further. She writhed about in absolute anguish of her injury, searching for any way out of her confines.

Though it had been mere seconds, it had taken far too long for Rin's adrenaline to flow like a river. The pain in her leg dulled, and her arms pushed up on the beam that lay across her chest. Lifting the thick and lengthy beam just a hair gave her the room to allow the rest of her body to add in her strength. Now pushing with her entire upper body, she was able to finagle the beam off of her chest, so she could attempt to move the one that had crushed her leg.

Boiling hot tears poured down her cheeks as the surge of adrenaline wore down. She pushed, twisted, and struggled to get the similarly weighty beam off of her shattered right thigh, but it just wasn't budging. Within a few more seconds, the adrenaline had all but run dry and now there was only pain. She fell back into her rubble grave, once again letting out an immense and gut wrenching scream. Beneath that wail of pain, behind the screams and sounds of the chaos that surrounded her, Rin heard a voice. A soft yet muffled voice that instantly woke her from her pain as it lightly called out to her, "Rin?"

Mimi.

If her friend's voice was anything to go by, she was in equally as bad shape. Once again, Rin's adrenaline pumped through her veins, until she finally pushed herself up to get the beam off of her leg once and for all. Growling and grinding her teeth as she struggled against the weight of the massive object, Rin let out a roar, fueling her strength further until she finally had enough room to wiggle her leg free. She twisted her body to allow the limp and broken appendage a place to fall, and let go of the beam.

She fell back into the rubble once more, and though the pain in her leg was astronomical, she was too exhausted, and her throat too scarred to let out another scream. A light cyan glow emanated from the cuff of her now torn slacks and her dry throat let out a few scratchy coughs as her leg snapped itself straight. All her limbs and wounds completely regenerated and her body free from the confines of the rubble, Rin took a few deep breaths and once again heard Mimi's weak voice, "Rin…please…"

This time, Rin's adrenaline flowed in a lighter, but still steady stream. She pushed herself up, carefully putting weight on her recently healed leg, and called out, "Mimi!" She looked around for any sign of the girl but there was nothing but destruction every which way she turned. "Mimi! Talk to me!"

"Rin?" Mimi weakly called, and immediately Rin locked on the direction of her friend's voice.

She hastily and carelessly tore through the rubble in her pursuit of Mimi's voice, until she was certain her friend was near. Her clothes ripped, her flesh tore, and she bled more and more as she dug through the destruction. Just as one wound regenerated, she inflicted another until Mimi's violet hair appeared. Rin took in a deep gasp, her eyes wide with surprise, as she urgently asked, "Mimi?"

"Rin?" Mimi again asked.

Once more she furiously dug through the debris, slowly revealing more of Mimi's mangled body. How she wasn't screaming was a mystery to Rin; her body had nearly been broken in half during the collapse. Her neck was clearly broken, her fingers twisted in all directions, and then of course the fact that her legs were folded beneath her torso. Rin's determination was written on her face as she reached down to Mimi's broken and twisted form, "Hang on, Mimi; this is gonna hurt."

Not wishing the pain to last any longer than it had to, Rin quickly picked Mimi up by her shoulders, a crack and a pop emanating from her neck and midsection as her spine righted itself. Of course with the sudden influx of pain, Mimi's scream nearly surpassed Rin's earlier. Still so very broken, Rin wrapped her arms around her friend's body, holding her tight as tears poured from her eyes. "It hurts!" She cried. "Please make the pain stop!"

Rin ran her hands down Mimi's arms, but when she got to her wrists, she shut her eyes. She took a breath and held it as she forced her hands onto Mimi's, quickly straightening out her broken fingers. With that, Mimi let out another surreal wail, and Rin deftly pulled her friend off of the rubble, finally allowing her legs to straighten out. She wrapped her in her arms so very tightly, holding her as close as she could to comfort her as she wept. Thankfully, within a few moments, their pain had subsided; their bodies completely regenerated by Yggdrasil.

However, while the pain was gone, Mimi still wept. She hyperventilated, shedding hysterical tears, "What's going on? What happened?"

Rin raised a hand to the back of Mimi's head, sewing her fingers into her lilac hair as she softly spoke, "It's alright." Looking up to where the ceiling should have been, looking out to the sky above, Rin's emerald eyes widened as she took in the sight of the mushroom cloud above Hiroshima. She struggled to not let the fear she felt infect her tone, and again reassured her friend, "It's going to be alright."

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><p>Wrapped under a blanket, and dressed in somewhat fresh clothes they'd found in the rubble of the office, Mimi's arms were folded across her chest, her small hands clinging to the blanket around her. Rin kept Mimi close to her side, her left arm draped around the small girl's back and side. They had walked nearly a mile into the heart of the devastation, and while Rin's eyes clearly displayed her anger, Mimi's lavender eyes were filled with tears. It was a painful silence that had fallen on them, neither offering the other a word after leaving their decimated home. It was only when they came across the bodies, the smoldering and misshapen corpses of those instantly killed by the heat of the blast, that Mimi's trembling voice finally spoke, "Is this hell?"<p>

"This is what happens when mankind discovers a new way to destroy itself," Rin replied.

"But why?" Mimi asked; her tone still so very damaged.

"It's no different than a child with a new toy," Rin replied. "The Americans were thought to have been developing an extremely powerful weapon; _this_ must be how they intended to show it to the world."

"But all these people, they're not part of the war, they're just…" Mimi's voice simply disappeared as she looked on the bodies of women and children.

Rin halted their progress, taking a moment to understand just where they were. The screams were gone here, and the air was filled with the sound of flames. The earth beneath their feet was black as night, and though their bodies healed almost instantly, they could both feel their skin tingling. They stood directly beneath the point of detonation, astounded by the absolute nothingness left in the wake of the bomb.

"Rin?" Mimi asked, still awash in tears.

Rin turned on her heals, sure to carefully turn Mimi with her as she somberly spoke, "Let's go, there's nothing we can do here."


	2. Chapter 2

They walked for miles through the ruined land, heading east towards Aki Ward. Though it didn't change what happened a few miles back, the semblance of civilization that appeared the further they went made Rin and Mimi feel just a little bit better. Granted there were still fires and the destruction hadn't avoided this place altogether, Mimi's tears had subsided and the anger in Rin's brow had faded. They knew that there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this tragedy; they just wanted to help.

Within just a few more steps, their wish was granted.

"Mother!" A young boy called from a street corner. Dressed in a frayed white yukata, and covered in mud and grime, he was about Mimi's height, and continued calling out for his mother, every which way he looked.

Of all the screams and commotion throughout the streets, this boys pleas for his mother stopped Rin and Mimi in their tracks. Their eyes locked on him from a distance, Mimi quietly asked, "Rin?"

Rin looked down to Mimi, whose glass-coated eyes seemed even larger as she stared up at her friend. It was the first time since the explosion that Rin had smiled, and luckily, her infectious grin had spread to Mimi as well, "Let's go."

They walked over to the boy whom had barely even noticed them until they were right on top of him. They hadn't seen the blood trailing down the side of his face until now, and with a light urgency in her tone, Rin asked, "What's your mother's name?"

Caught off guard, the boy stepped back from the two women and turned away, though he never took his eyes off them completely as he called, "Dad!"

"Hey, it's okay-"

"Who are you people?" An older man interrupted Mimi as he walked up behind the boy. He too was dressed in a ripped and stained yukata, a tidy mustache on his face, chiseled cheeks, and a narrow gaze.

Rin peacefully raised her hands, showing she posed no threat and replied, "My name is Rin Asogi, and this is Mimi."

"What do you want?" The man curtly asked, clearly upset, and not quite sure what to make of Rin's bloodstained attire.

"Is this your son?" Mimi asked.

"Yes," he replied simply, pulling the boy closer to him.

"So it's your wife that's missing?" Rin concluded.

"Have you seen her?" The man blindly asked in the hopes that maybe somehow, this stranger had in fact seen his wife. "Have you seen Himiko?"

"Do you have a photograph of her?" Rin asked.

"We'd be happy to help you look for her," Mimi added.

"Why?" He tersely asked.

"All we have is each other," Rin replied with a smile.

"And we're both safe," Mimi added with a similar grin.

"If you'd like our help in looking for her, it's yours," Rin finished.

The man stood silent as he contemplated Rin's offer. He knew the more ears he had to the ground, the better the chance of him finding his wife. Reluctant but short on options, the man accepted, "Thank you."

Rin and Mimi both smiled a little wider, finally feeling useful once again. "You got a name?" Rin asked.

"Shinji Nakamura," the man replied. "This is my son, Kenta."

"It's nice to meet you both," Mimi beamed.

"Now do you have a photo of this wife of yours?" Rin asked.

"Come with us," the man replied.

They followed Shinji and Kenta to their home, which was just down the road from the corner in which they'd found the young boy. As it turned out, Shinji owned a Sake bar which also served as the entrance to his relatively meager home. As they set foot into the space, Kenta ran off into the rear of the building, while Shinji stepped behind the bar and asked, "Drink?"

"Sure," Rin replied as she and Mimi took a seat at the bar.

Shinji poured Rin a small glass of Sake, and surprisingly, he poured one for Mimi as well. That he served someone who appeared so young, it might have been that he was still too panicked over the loss of his wife, or too in shock over the bombing to even question the young immortal's age. As they drank, Kenta came back into the bar holding a pair of photos.

Immediately, Rin and Mimi's eyes were on the young boy as he approached them, and he placed the photos on the bar for them. "This is her?" Rin asked as she carefully took the photograph into her hands.

"Himiko," Shinji replied, his eyes turned away, focusing on nothing in particular behind the bar. "She responds to Himi; if you call that name, she'll know I sent you for her."

Rin gave the photo another glance, and looked back to Shinji. She put on her most confident and reassuring grin as she propped herself up, and reached across the bar. Carefully she lifted Shinji's chin so that he could look into her eyes as she spoke, "Hey, we'll find her; I promise."

Though she said nothing, Mimi's eyes told of her concern. It was Rin's way to offer their client's a modicum of confidence, but it wasn't always a promise she could deliver. Nevertheless, just looking at Shinji and Kenta's faces, at how relieved they looked; she knew why Rin did it.

She shook the thought from her mind and also put on a smile as she asked, "So what's the plan?"

Rin slid her seat back beneath the bar and replied, "I'm going to head north. The three of you go your own ways and we'll meet back here at sundown."

"Are you sure you want to go off on your own?" Shinji asked.

Again, Rin only smiled, "Relax, Mimi and I do this sort of thing more often than you might think." She turned back to her violet haired friend and quietly asked, "Mimi, a word outside?"

"Sure," Mimi replied, quickly hopping off the barstool and following Rin out to the street. When she came outside, Rin was leaning against the wall of the building, her arms folded across her chest. "What is it?" Mimi asked.

"Do you remember the convoy of military trucks that we saw on our way over here?" Rin asked.

The thought replayed in Mimi's mind for a split second. The memory of watching those canvas covered trucks pass them by. The fleeting glimpse they both clearly caught, but hadn't spoken of till this moment. The sight of women and children in the backs of those trucks, being taken away for who knew what purpose.

"You think she was taken?" Mimi urgently asked.

"There's no way of knowing, but the devastation here isn't bad enough to assume she was lost in the confusion," Rin replied. "Keep your guard up, and watch out for those two."

The little girl wrapped her arms around Rin's waist and replied, "You be careful too."

Rin returned the gesture and replied, "I will. Remember; here at sundown."

Mimi pulled away from Rin and gave her a nod. As she set off north, Mimi watched on, keeping her eyes on her friend until she was completely out of view. Even with their gift of immortality, it was still quite difficult for her to see Rin off at times like this, _"Please be careful, Rin."_

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><p>Rin continued north for miles, stopping every now and again to show Himiko's photo to those she came across. Village after village, and ward after ward, no one had seen her, even well out of the decimated land of Hiroshima. After numerous failed attempts, Rin's confidence faded slightly. The position of the sun in the sky told that she would soon be out of daylight, and with empty, regretful hands, she turned to head back to Aki ward.<p>

Nearly halfway back, she caught another glimpse of a convoy of military vehicles down one of the streets in Higashi ward. She made a spur of the moment decision, and cut down an alley in an attempt to get closer to the procession, and perhaps get a closer look at the contents of the vehicles. She struggled to keep her progression as silent as she could, and within just a few moments had come to the end of the alley, just as the convoy was approaching.

She knelt behind a garbage container to keep herself hidden, and when she looked out to the fleet, it was exactly as she's predicted. Though the trucks bore no markings save for their easily assuming camouflaged paint, the trucks were full of Japanese women and children. Catching a glance at one of the driver's, her suspicions were confirmed, _"Americans. What the hell are they planning on doing?"_

"Well look at what we have here?" A gruff male voice sadistically muttered just behind Rin.

No sooner than she had turned to take the soldier into her sight did he slam the butt-end of his rifle into her forehead. As the world went black, she heard the vague musings of the man who'd hit her, _"She's a pretty one too."_

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><p>Night fell on Aki ward, though the unease that permeated the air was still in full swing. It's not every day that villages were leveled, and thousands of people were killed in the blink of an eye, the lucky ones at least. Mimi stepped through the curtains at the entrance of Shinji Nakamura's Sake bar. As soon as he heard her arrive, Shinji immediately turned to the little girl and urgently asked, "Any sign of her?"<p>

Mimi's sadness was never well hidden, and in this case, even less so, "No sign of Himiko and no sign of Rin either."

Shinji was taken back for a moment. Though he had been hesitant to accept Rin and Mimi's assistance in the first place, as he put thought into their selfless kindness, he was extremely grateful to have their help. "Your friend said that the two of you do this sort of thing all the time."

Mimi took a seat at the bar and replied, "We do, but it's not like Rin to be late when she sets a time." She immediately thought back to their earlier conversation, concerning those trucks they had seen. An ever greater level of concern washed over her and she stood from her seat, "Something's wrong."

As she headed back to the curtained entrance, Kenta called back to the girl who had helped him around the city today, "Wait, Mimi!"

The violet haired girl turned back to Kenta and Shinji, and replied, "I wouldn't stay out too late tonight. Lock up early and the both of you get some rest. I'll be back as soon as I can."

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><p>Rin's eyes fluttered open, blurrily revealing her surroundings. Even once she was completely awake, her glasses were gone, keeping everything around her just a little difficult to make out. The first thing she put together was the murky image of a gurney in front of her, and the smell of rotting blood and flesh in the air. She was in a morgue, she was sure of it, <em>"I didn't think he hit me hard enough to…" <em>She ran through her memories,_ "…no, I didn't die, so what am I doing here?"_

The sound of footsteps in the distance instantly brought her to try and move, which unfortunately also brought about the next realization; her arms and legs were bound to the table on which she lay. The table itself was propped up at a slight angle, and as she looked around the room, she wondered, _"Did they leave me this way on purpose?"_

The footsteps became louder and louder as they approached, and judging by the sound of the clattering, there were several people on their way. Suddenly the door burst open, and another sound became known to Rin; the sound of a gagged woman doing all she could to break free of the men who held her.

As the desperate soul appeared in this dark and dank place, Rin's eyes doubled in size as she quietly spoke, "Himiko?"

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><p><em>Looks like this is going to take me a little longer than I'd hoped to finish up :( I've finished my writing, but I'm not quite through proofing and whatnot. <em>

_Hopefully I'll get chapter three up tomorrow, if not both chapters three and four._

_I hope you're enjoying it so far,_  
><em>-jm<em>


	3. Chapter 3

In the dead of the night, Mimi ran through the streets of Higashi ward, just north of Aki. It had been hours since she'd seen Rin, and though she knew her friend was as she was, it rarely made the fear Mimi felt for Rin any less. Ever since that fateful day, Rin was everything to her. She'd spend her life in Rin's debt and company, so long as the immortal would have her.

This time of night, there may have normally been a few more folks out and about in Higashi. However, on this hollow night, there was hardly a noise to be heard save for the occasional bark of flames. Then of course there was Mimi's normally light voice, pushed harder than it had been in years as she called out, "Rin!"

Observing the layout of the streets, the small girl ran through every alley she came across, searching endlessly for her friend. After what felt like an eternity, she stumbled upon a series of tire tracks in the mud. Deep and doubled, just like those that would be left by the dually military trucks her and Rin had seen earlier. Her frantic pace slowed as she followed the tracks, until coming to another oddity; footprints. More precisely, footprints that could only have been made by heavy combat boots. Then there was another trail among the footprints, a pair of long and thick divots through the mud, almost as though someone had been dragged.

Mimi took up the trail the lines in the mud made, and luckily, she only needed to follow it for a few feet before finding the last clue she needed; Rin's broken glasses.

"Oh no…" She quietly muttered as she knelt down to pick up the bent frames, "…Rin." She looked back to the tire tracks and immediately set off once more, this time to follow those tracks to wherever they led.

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><p>"Like I said; this one's a real beauty," the man who'd taken Rin commented as he tightly gripped her face by her cheeks, holding her mouth shut and her head still against the table.<p>

"But I like this one, boss," another of the men spoke as he ran a knife down Himiko's quivering cheek. They had bound her feet to the floor, and pulled her arms taught above her, tying them to an exposed beam in the ceiling.

There were four of them in total; American soldiers indulging in some last minute entertainment with the weak among their enemies. Though she was beyond furious at the mere sight of these men, Rin was completely powerless. Getting those beams off of her earlier was easy by comparison to attempting to get off of this table. She had no room to move, and no weapons to use.

The man who held Rin roughly let go of her, and replied to his cohort who was taunting Himiko, "That's right, the other one." He pulled the picture Shinji had given Rin from his pocket, and held it up for her green eyes to see, "You were lookin' for her weren't ya?"

Rin remained tight lipped, though the look of raw, unbridled rage in her eyes was completely unmistakable. The man closed in on her once again and whipped the back of his hand across her face, "Answer me, you Jap bitch!" Even after being struck, she hardly made a peep, slowly turning back to face him as blood dripped from her lips.

"It's not enough that you've killed thousands, now you've got to have your fun too?" Rin asked through her teeth.

"Perks'a the job, lady," the man happily replied.

"Who the fuck are you people?" Rin gritted, finally pushed to the point of using profanity.

The man tipped his head forward as he replied, "Colonel Thomas Wilkinson the third; at your service."

"Why don't you do me a favor and drop dead?" Rin replied.

Wilkinson clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, smiling as he spoke to his subordinates without taking his eyes off Rin, "Go on boys, enjoy yourselves."

"No…" Rin quietly pleaded, but as the word left her lips, the men had already begun. They ripped Himiko's torn clothes from her bruised body, while the bound woman roared into her gag.

"Make her scream, boys," Wilkinson ordered. "It just ain't as fun if they don't scream." As ordered, the men violated and cut into Himiko, causing her to scream louder and louder by the second. Relishing in the anger on Rin's face, Wilkinson closed in on her once more, still smiling wide, "I'm gonna have me some fun with this one."

He slid his tongue all about Rin's randomly exposed flesh, causing her to squirm in disgust. Luckily her eyes closed tight as she pulled away from him, so that she at least didn't have to watch as the other men ravaged Himiko. It wasn't enough that they raped her, but the sound of fists crashing into flesh; they were beating her as well.

Nearly hyperventilating in anger as her captor groped and fondled her, Rin growled, "Someday you might regret this."

Wilkinson merely laughed at her comment. He laughed and laughed, eventually roaring out loud at what she had said. He forced his hand to her chest and ripped her frayed shirt open, exposing even more of her pale white body before throwing the same hand forward, punching her square in the jaw. Rin reeled from the powerful blow, and just as soon as she'd recovered, it was only to watch Wilkinson draw the pistol from his belt.

First aimed directly at Rin's face, she merely shut her eyes and braced for the shot. However, he turned and instead took a single shot that silenced Himiko. Rin's eyes burst open, for once grateful to not have her glasses so that she could not see the aftermath of Wilkinson's point-black shot. While she was glad that Himiko no longer suffered, she still cried out, "No! You fucking cowards!"

With that, Wilkinson raised the gun once more, this time pressing the barrel to Rin's forehead. Before he took the shot however, one of his men remarked, "But boss, we ain't even played with her yet."

The colonel smiled as he replied simply, "She don't need to be alive for us ta have our fun with'er."

"Fucke-"

Rin's body fell limp against the table as the 45-caliber slug crashed into her brain.

* * *

><p>Outside of the base the tire tracks had led her to, Mimi carefully snuck about, looking for any way through the chain link fence that surrounded the complex. Naturally, the base was sealed quite tight, and there were guards posted throughout the space. She had to tread carefully and quietly; fortunately, she'd had a good teacher. She used every last crate, vehicle, and object that surrounded the facility to her advantage, ducking in and out spaces, using her slight size to her absolute advantage.<p>

Finally, she found a gap in the fence that appeared to be just large enough to allow her to fit through. She got to her knees, and then lay flat on her chest as she crawled beneath the fence. Having not made a sound above a whisper, none of the guards had heard her and she continued on, looking for a way into the complex.

It was only after she'd gone several yards further into the base that she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. The smell of dried blood and rotting flesh, the smell of death. Her hands rose to her lips and nose to both block out some of the scent, and to keep herself from gagging or retching out loud. She continued on, the smell growing stronger and stronger when she finally found its origin.

A trench had been dug in the back of the compound, and had been filled with the corpses of dozens, if not hundreds of men, women, and children. The men and children all bore the distinct marks of surgeries. They had all been cut open, and their internal organs had spilt out of their torsos, at least those that remained in their bodies. The women however appeared more tortured than anything. Clearly they had been used for a very specific purpose before being disposed of.

Mimi was so close to losing it as she looked on the absolutely terrifying scene. Just as she thought it couldn't have gotten any worse, her eyes locked on the body of a woman whom resembled Himiko, and just beside her Rin lay lifeless. Her eyes doubled in size and her hands fell from her face as she quietly called, "Rin?"

She didn't even think about it as she dove into the pit and waded through the bodies to get to her friend. Rin's forehead was blown open and her face was covered in blood. Her ripped shirt barely kept her decent, though the men hadn't bothered to cover her lower half once they were through with her. She was ice cold and stone dead, though her eyes were just as they'd been in that second, her brow tight and her eyes clearly displaying her anger. More terrified than she'd been the day that angel sank its teeth into her, Mimi grabbed Rin by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake as she spoke, loud as she dared, "Rin? C'mon, Rin; wake up!"

She looked away from Rin's horribly ruined face, and looked all around her in search of Yggdrasil as she pleaded, "Wake her up! Bring her back!" Her face fell onto Rin's shoulder as her tears flowed like a river. "Please bring her back," she again cried.

Though Mimi couldn't see it, blood slowly flowed from the massive hole in Rin's forehead, and within seconds, the bullet slid itself out, and the wound closed up. The tension in her brow faded and she gave her eyes a blink. The smell hit her immediately, but it was the sound of Mimi's tears that had her complete attention. She gently raised her arms, and wrapped them around the small girl on top of her as she spoke, "I'm here."

Mimi quickly pulled herself away and out of Rin's grasp, and shouted, "Ri-"

She couldn't have been happier to see the violet haired girl, but Mimi's voice had a way of carrying when she got excited. She threw one of her hands up to lightly cover Mimi's lips, and immediately her eyes lightened up. Rin gave her a nod that she returned and withdrew her hand. She turned to Rin's side, looking at the body next to hers and asked, "Is that her?"

"From what I can remember, she didn't suffer much," Rin replied somberly.

"What are we gonna-"

Just as Mimi had wondered what they would tell Shinji and Kenta, Himiko's eyes burst open and she let out a roar of pain. Both Mimi and Rin flinched in fear, but not more than a second after Himiko's voice cracked had Rin again thrown her hand out to cover a pair of lips.

"She's immortal!" Mimi stated obviously.

As Himiko writhed about, Rin looked to Mimi and calmly replied, still holding her hand over Himiko's lips, "When Yggdrasil let out all those time fruits earlier, it must have known what was going to happen here. Himiko must have absorbed one of them." She looked back to Himiko and spoke, "Himi?" The sound of her nickname brought Himiko back to reality in a flash, slowing her panicked movements. Seeing she'd calmed down a bit, Rin finished her thought, keeping her tone as soothing as she could, "Shinji and Kenta sent us to find you. I'm sorry we were late, but I need you to keep quiet. Can you do that for me?"

Himiko's eyes settled slightly and she nodded. Rin lifted her hand from Himiko's lips and with all manner of fear in her tone, the woman asked, "What happened to me? The last thing I remember, those men were…" She paused as the memory hit her, "…they were…"

* * *

><p><em>One more to go ;)<em>


	4. Chapter 4

It would take quite a bit more than just a few moments for Rin and Mimi to fully explain what had happened to Himiko, and so Rin made a decision on the spot, "I'll be happy to tell you more about this, but for now, I need the two of you to go."

Immediately Mimi put up her guard and fought, "No! I'm not leaving you here!"

Rin grinned at Mimi's concern for her, but insisted, "I'll be fine, Mimi. Please take Himiko back to her family, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Her sadness washed of her eyes and she again pushed, "But Rin-"

"Please trust me, Mimi," Rin interrupted, not too harshly. She shut her eyes tight, infusing her tone with the sincerity she felt, "I can't watch anything happen to you too, now please go."

Mimi's eyes filled with tears and she leaned forward, tightly wrapping her arms around Rin, "You be careful, you hear me!"

Rin returned the hug, gently placing her hands on Mimi's back as she replied, "I'll be fine, I promise."

In a state of complete shock, Himiko asked with a waver in her tone, "Who are you people?"

Mimi turned to her, still in Rin's grasp, though it was Rin who spoke with just a hint of a smile on her lips, "Right now; we're ghosts."

* * *

><p>Rin's half naked form quietly traversed the concrete walkways that surrounded the base, a leather belt she'd borrowed from one of the dead, in hand. She was searching for a guard, and her quest didn't take long. She peered around a corner and promptly made her move. The adrenaline in her veins pumped every bit as hard as it had that morning, as she whipped the belt around an unsuspecting guard's neck, and quickly flipped him over her shoulder. As soon as his back crashed against the concrete, she forced her knee to his throat, and immediately they recognized one another. He was one of the men from that dreadful room earlier. She was infuriated at the sight of him, and seeing her alive, he attempted to speak, even as she crushed his windpipe, "You!"<p>

Her eyes narrowed and with a slight sense of glee, she pushed against his struggling jaw, breaking his neck in an instant. Rin let out a sigh and stripped the man, taking his garments for herself. Now clad in a pair of canvas pants, and canvas top, Rin's bare feet continued into the complex, the officer's 1911 sidearm in hand. She had seen nothing of the complex layout on either her way in, or her way out, and simply had to rely on instinct. Logic told her that the morgue she was in would have been in the sub-levels of the building, bringing her to seek out a staircase leading down.

Seeing as how many of the soldiers stationed here were more than likely out gathering prisoners, the base was largely empty. However, the further she went, the closer the voices got. The helpless cries of men, women, and children all begging for the mercy of anyone who heard them. It was but a few more turns through the hallways that she found the morgue she was in earlier. Looking into the now empty room, seeing Himiko's blood on the floor, and hers on the table she was strapped to, her rage was fueled even further. She rounded the next few corners of the concrete halls and finally came to the cell holding the numerous prisoners.

At the sight of her, the captives grew louder, their cries becoming more specific. Rin couldn't hear them though, she had but one job to do and needed to focus, "Get away from the door!" She ordered as she lifted the weapon towards the key slot. The prisoners backed away, and she fired two shots into the lock. The door swayed loose on its hinges and with a flick of her wrist, she swung the door open, "Come on!"

"What about the Americans?" One of the prisoners asked.

Again Rin smiled, there were dozens of them, and though it was a despicable sight, they had strength in their numbers. "I'll lead the way; just run right over them."

It was like leading a herd of stampeding Bulls through the narrow corridors. If the Americans were lucky, none of them would get caught in their path. However, the two shots Rin needed to fire in order to open the cell had attracted some attention. Another of the men from _that_ room barreled down the hall and this man too looked as though he'd seen a ghost in Rin. She didn't slow her progression in the least, and even wore a smile as she took a single shot that ended him. She slid the half-empty 1911 into waist of her pants and picked up the soldiers automatic rifle.

Having ascended the flight of stairs she came down earlier, they were nearly out when suddenly Rin passed a closed office door and stopped. The labels on the door read, "Colonel Wilkinson III" and "Admiral Baker II". Rin looked down the hall towards the exit and handed the rifle to a seemingly capable man behind her as she ordered, "Go on, I'll be out in a minute."

The man placed a hand on her shoulder and replied, "Thank you."

"Go," Rin again ordered, this time with a slight smile. The herd continued down the hall, and out of the building, and as soon as they were out of sight, Rin pulled the 1911 from her waist. She ejected the magazine, eyeing up the three remaining rounds through the mags window. Slipping the mag back in place, she pulled the slide back to check the chamber was still hot, and finally tried the doorknob. She kept the gun preparedly raised, as she entered the hall, only to find another short hallway with a set of doors on both sides of her. She opened the door to Admiral Baker's office first, and quickly entered.

The admiral looked up from behind his desk, to stare down the barrel of the 1911 Rin held. His tie undone, a bottle of Jack Daniels in his right hand, he was probably a bit tipsier that he would have liked. The Admiral slowly but obviously reached below his desk, and without a word, Rin put a round between his eyes. She quickly turned towards Wilkinson's door, confident that he would have heard the shot loud and clear. She hastily barged right through his door to find a bound and gagged woman bent over his desk while Wilkinson stood behind her. The cocky bastard hadn't even bothered to concern himself with the gunshot. However, when he saw Rin holding a gun on him, he reacted much in the way his subordinates had, "YOU!"

She fired a shot blowing out his right knee, and dropping him to the ground before he could retrieve his side arm. While the Colonel cowered in the pain of his obliterated knee, Rin untied the woman, pulling her yukata down over her exposed body. "Go," she ordered of the terrified woman.

The woman ran from the room without a second thought, and as Rin placed the barrel of the gun directly on the Wilkinson's forehead, he spat, "You're dead! I killed you myself!"

"I warned you that you might regret this some day, didn't I?" Rin politely asked.

"Impossib-"

She interrupted him, placing the last two bullets in his head. The empty 1911 fell against the concrete seconds later, and finally, she was done.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Rin, and Mimi sat at the bar in Shinji's home, both clad in fresh and clean yukatas. Sadly, Mimi's white and blue yukata had come from Kenta's closet, as Himiko's clothes were far too big for her. Still, it didn't seem to trouble the small girl in the least. In fact, throughout the morning, neither Shinji, Kenta, Rin, or Mimi seemed upset in the least. Japan had been hit by an unreal disaster, but its people endured as people do. Simply happy to have his wife back, Shinji gave Rin and Mimi free reign over any bottle of Sake they wished. That it was hardly mid-day, lent to the shock that Shinji felt at watching the women drink. Happily though, he'd never say a word of his surprise. They had brought Himiko back to him, and that was worth whatever they wanted from him.<p>

The proprietor emerged from the living area of his business to find Rin and Mimi sharing in a light laugh. As he came back into the bar area, Rin and Mimi piped down a little, and looked over to Shinji. As he made his way behind the bar, Mimi asked, "How's she doing?"

Shinji smiled somewhat, "She's very quiet, but she's safe, thanks to the two of you."

"Just doing what we can to help out someone in need," Rin replied with a warm smile.

"Before she fell asleep, she had said that she wished to speak with you," Shinji added. "Do you have any idea why?"

Both Rin and Mimi knew exactly what she wanted to discuss, though Rin kept mum on the subject, "Not really."

The two ladies stood from their stools and Shinji asked, "You're leaving?"

"We'll be back tonight," Rin again happily replied with a wave.

"Goodbye!" Mimi beamed as they headed through the door.

Alone once again, Shinji sighed and lightly mused, "Those are two of the strangest women I've ever met."

Outside Shinji's shop, Rin and Mimi set off about Aki ward, in search of something to occupy their interests for the rest of the day. Surely there were many others they could offer assistance to. As they walked through the commotion-laden streets, they lightly spoke about Himiko's predicament.

"So what are you going to tell her?" Mimi asked. "About Yggdrasil, and immortality?"

"What can I tell her?" Rin asked. "I think the better question is, what is she going to tell the man and child who so desperately wanted her back? Now that she's come back to them, she'll never grow old and she'll never die. She'll be forced to watch her husband and child grow old and fade away."

"Not really fair, huh?" Mimi asked.

"I suppose that too is something we've learned throughout the years; life is never fair."

* * *

><p>Once again, night fell on Aki ward. As they had promised, Rin and Mimi appeared in the entranceway to Shinji's Sake bar. The bar was empty, bringing Rin to call into the shop, "Hello?"<p>

"Coming," a woman's voice replied from the rear of the shop. Himiko appeared seconds later, wearing a smile that quickly faded as she observed Rin and Mimi. The sight of them didn't conjure the best of memories for Himiko, though she definitely wanted answers. "Please come in," she offered.

"Thank you," Rin replied as she and Mimi knelt at a small table in the corner of the bar. "Where are Shinji and Kenta?"

"They're out for the night," Himiko replied as she joined them.

"Good."

"Why is that good?" Himiko cautiously asked.

"Mimi?" Rin asked, giving her companion the queue to leave them alone for a moment. The violet haired girl got to her feet, a comforting smile on her lips, purely for Himiko's benefit.

As soon as she was out the door, Rin began, "Himi?" She instantly had the woman's attention, and continued, "What I have to tell you won't be easy to hear. I wish there were an easier way to say these things. I hope you'll trust me when I tell you, that after nine-hundred years, I still haven't found a _good_ way to explain it."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Rin and Mimi stood at the corner they had first found Kenta. They watched on with hollows in their eyes as Himiko morosely stepped through the entranceway of the bar, a suitcase in hand.<p>

Mimi would be the one to break the silence between them, "She chose to leave?"

"She did," Rin somberly replied.

"Are you sure this was the right thing to do?"

"Their wounds will heal in time."

"Do you really believe that?" Mimi asked.

Rin turned to Mimi, wearing a warm smile as she replied, "I want to believe it."

As Himiko disappeared down the corridor, Mimi pushed herself away from the telephone pole she was leaning against, and for the first time in two days filled her tone with light, "So what about us?"

"I don't know," Rin lightly replied as she wrapped her arm around her littlest, and oldest friend. They headed off further into Aki as she spoke, "I hear Kyoto is nice this time of year."

* * *

><p><em>And that is all for this one :) If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed it :)<em>

_I do have quite a few other ideas for additional 'Rin' fics, but I'm a bit swamped at the moment. I may simply add onto this fic, and just separate the different stories with different chapters. I suppose we'll see what happens._

_Hopefully, I didn't push the 'T' rating too far. If it is deemed too graphic for a 'T' rated fic, I'll change it immediately._

_Thanks very much for reading, and I hope to be back again soon :)_  
><em>-jm<em>


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